Dame Couture

My daughter was quite anxious about the experience of shopping for a wedding dress after a few visits to some of DC’s swankiest bridal shops. She was arriving in Chicago for a friend’s wedding and I suggested we make an appointment with Holly. This was on a Thursday! She asked which designer and specific styles my daughter liked and offered to have those dresses shipped express overnight so they would be in the shop on Sunday, the day of our appointment.
I just had this sense Holly was the only one who could make this happen in such a short period of time and would connect with my daughter.
My daughter liked all of the dresses she tried on but Holly pulled out a dress from a different designer and urged her give it a go. And everyone agreed it was «her» dress.
It was one of the most relaxing and satisfying experience for us because Holly really knows what she is doing. And you won’t find a shop that carries such beautifully crafted gowns, priced so modestly.
Thank you again, Holly!

Holly was a delight to work with and I loved each visit to Dame Couture. After many trips to many bridal shops with no luck I was relieved to find this gem. I urge you to visit Holly at her shop and prepare to have a wonderful time! I look forward to the next special occasion my husband and I have to get another dress with Holly!

Five stars and then some for this amazing independent bridal retailer.
The short of it: this is an absolutely amazing bridal shop with an incredibly kind and competent owner. Located just outside CHI in Evanston, this shop carries great designers and they do custom gowns as well. Everything is beautiful and you won’t be disappointed, period.
The long of it: I found Dame while searching for the nearest Rebecca Schoneveld bridal retailer. (I’m finding Wisconsin isn’t replete with shops that carry more independent US designers, so Minnesota + Illinois seem to be to go-​tos if you’re looking for the likes of someone like Schoneveld — independent but larger-​scale, made in the good ol’ USA, less bling and more nuance, etc.)
FYI: This is a bridal shop for a more independent bride who values quality materials, attention to detail and uniqueness in construction when it comes to gowns.
Holly — the lady behind Dame Couture — welcomed us in after a somewhat harrowing + wintery Amtrak and Über experience. She started us off with tea and a conversation; we then went through and picked out a number of gowns to try on.
One after another were winners or near winners. I was surprised at how curated and fantastic the shop’s offerings were, and almost all of them on, even.
I had every intention of returning to Dame to work with Holly to find my perfect wedding dress, but a serendipitous stop at Amy Kuschel in SF this past week left me +1 on the wedding gown tip.
I’m almost sad not to get the chance to work with Holly — she + Dame are that great. (That said, my dress is pretty amazing, you guys.)
I can’t recommend Dame highly enough. Go! Go now. Work with Holly and marvel at her curated collection. It’s five star-​worthy and then some.

I love Holly! I was sad at my final appointment. I was driving from Buchanan, MI a few times a months for months. I actually miss her. My dress is exactly what I wanted. At my first appointment I was 6 months post baby so I still had some weight to lose before the wedding. The second dress I put on I fell in love with, even with the baby weight. When it was finally time to pick it up the week of the wedding I still loved it as much as I did then. We had to go down a few sizes, but she was very accommodating. I wish I had another event to go. I would love her to make me another dress! Maybe for a renewal.

I just got married this past weekend, and I had to log into Unilocal and highlight how amazing Holly is! Her shop is so incredibly unique and was exactly what I was looking for. At the wedding, people did NOT stop raving about how amazing my dress was and how different it was from cookie cutter dresses you see at weddings nowadays.
Holly has amazing taste, is extremely talented and may be the most responsive person ever. I really enjoyed every visit to her shop, and she always went above and beyond to help me think through all the details.
Thank you so much for everything, Holly! People definitely heard about Dame Couture at my wedding!

This is a loooong overdue rave about Holly and Dame Couture. Easily my favorite part of the entire wedding planning process. I was sad when it ended!
Let’s just get this out there: I’m no size 2 bride. I don’t love trying on clothes. So I wasn’t exactly relishing the thought of going the traditional, judge-​y route at high-​end bridal stores. Still, I wanted the high-​end experience, dammit! And I knew exactly what I wanted my dress to look like. (Or so I thought. More on that later.)
I researched a ton of dressmakers in Chicago, and nothing was hitting me quite right. Then I widened the search, and like a beacon in the night, Dame appeared. Custom-​made, vintage-​inspired loveliness at every turn. I immediately clicked with Holly’s design sense.
So I booked my appointment, gathered up some pictures and headed north. The instant I walked in and saw Holly’s smiling face, I knew I was in good hands. She and her shop actually put me at ease. (Seriously, I’m rarely at ease. New situations make me sweat.) There’s just something about her way that’s so confident, comfortable, adorable and fun. I absolutely knew she could conjure the vision I had in my head.
Speaking of the vision, yeah, it kept changing. I kept looking at pictures, googling every possible variation of «vintage tea-​length wedding,» and trashing the ideas I’d been in love with just days before. Never once did Holly make me feel like a pain. In fact, when I finally settled on The Actual Dress, which was a 180 from where I started, she said, «You know, I’m even *more* excited to design this dress.» She’s a gem, I tell you. And so is her assistant Tai. I hope I’m spelling her name right — she’s the unsung hero of that place.
When I finally tried on my finished dress, I couldn’t believe it. Vintage and fun and girly and gorgeous. It was everything I wanted from the very start… it just took me a while to get there. But something tells me Holly knew exactly where we’d end up. She’s just that good.

I could not have had a better experience working with Holly at Dame Couture to make my wedding gown. Holly and her assistant were professional and responsive from the first time I visited her shop to the time my dress was complete (and beyond). She always made me feel comfortable at fittings, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of having my dress made by Holly. She went above and beyond to ensure that my dress was perfect and suited my style and personality. She is wonderful at what she does, and I would recommend Dame Couture over and over again!

After an appointment at another bridal shop I called Dame Couture to see if they would be willing to accommodate me without an appointment and luckily they were available for the next hour and a half. So my friend, my mom, and I headed straight over there and were greeted by a lady and her assistant. We were offered a glass of water as the assistant asked me some questions regarding the kind of wedding dress I was looking for; long, slight trumpet, a little beading, and priced around $ 1000. After the brief survey I was invited to look at the their rack of about 100 dresses. None of them drew my eye so I was ready to just say thank you and leave. But then the owner said something that I found quite offensive and that is the reason I am writing this review. She said that her dresses are all custom made in America and therefore priced around $ 1500. That if I were looking for a dress around my price point I would have to buy a dress made in a third world country so she recommended I go to David’s Bridal or GiGis. Considering both I, my mom, and my best friend are products of third world countries I couldn’t help but be offended by her «trying to be nice and helpful» comment. I just smiled, said thank you, and walked out the door. I felt it was necessary to give a heads up to any bride out there thinking about going to this place to be aware of what to expect.

Holly is amazing! I found a beautiful dress she had already made and she altered it to put cap sleeves on it. I love, love the finished product. So many people commented on how much they loved the dress at the wedding. It was comfortable, beautiful and so me. I already have, and will continue to recommend Holly and her shop to family and friends. Thank you Holly, it was so great working with you!
Lara

WOW! is all I can say. I will be wearing my Mom’s dress from 1964 and for the most part it still fits. I let Holly have carte blanche on ideas what she presented were awesome — plus, she referred a good dry cleaner. In 2014, I will start to move forward with my plans for the re-​styling.
For comparison purposes, I went to Silver Moon and gave them carte blanche on ideas and they presented the same ideas as Holly ~plus~ wanted 2x as much. The owner didn’t even meet with me and her underling had to call her to get the price quote. I assume the «stylist» to rock stars was too important to meet me personally, nor did I find their showroom having as nice as dresses as Dame Couture — hence my choice to hire Holly is obvious.
***update. Holly is now working on my dress and know it will be fantastic!

I love this place!
When I went dress shopping with my Mom and soon to be Mother-​in-​Law, Dame Couture was our first stop. Gretchen made us feel so welcome in their charming little boutique. I even got makeup on one of their sample dresses and they were so nice about it. I felt terrible, but they put me at ease.
I tried on several sample dresses to get an idea of what they could do. The concept of choosing elements from different dresses and having them custom-​design a wedding dress right there in Evanston for me was so intriguing, especially at prices comparable to the typical bridal salons.
After visiting other bridal salons (and not being treated as graciously as I had been at Dame), I felt strongly compelled to go back to Dame Couture.
Working with Holly on my dress was one of the most exciting aspects of planning my wedding. She was honest, patient, and clearly passionate about her work. She even helped me pad my undergarments to make them more comfortable. She took me through several fittings to make sure everything was perfect and, in the end, everything was! Now that it’s over, I actually miss those wonderful ladies!
I ended up having a headpiece made by Megan, and that was perfect as well.
I could not be happier with my experience at Dame Couture. Brides-​to-​be, go see these Dames! You will be so glad you did!

The ladies of Dame Couture may be the nicest, snazziest, laid back, kind people I have met throughout the wedding process. An added plus is how well they treated the multitude of family members and friends that came with me on my visits — every time they welcomed us and made us feel 100% at home. The process never stressed me out and I left feeling like a million bucks.
I highly recommend visiting and working with DC. They are 100% lovely and gems to meet.

Holly and the girls are the absolute best. They designed my dream wedding dress for me, and although I won’t get to wear it thanks to my runaway groom, they provided impeccable service in a rush at a very fair price. They are extremely welcoming and very talented. I would recommend them to anyone, and I hope to use them again in the future!

I cannot say enough good things about Holly and Dame Couture. When I started planning my wedding, my maid of honor took me to all the usual stops — David’s Bridal, Macy’s, J. Crew, etc. All of these were merely fact finding missions on the way to Dame Couture. I knew by looking at their website that they definitely had the style that I was looking for.
After trying on tons of dresses I knew that I wanted a dress that was: not white, sleeveless, built in corset, slight mermaid silhouette, no train. I took these ideas and several photographs to Holly. I looked through some of her amazing designs, but I knew I wanted a one of a kind dress. She drew some sketches, we looked at fabric swatches, we discussed the kind of fit I wanted for my body style, the level of comfort I was looking for, wedding hair, wedding shoes — all of it.
I loved the fact that my dress would reflect my personality and that I would have a hand in its creation every step of the way. The prices are more than reasonable for a custom made dress, and the numerous consultations and fittings that you will schedule will ease any concerns you have along the way.
Love, love, love Dame Couture!

I love love love Holly. I don’t know how to express how much I love the dresses she made me and my sister. Somehow, Holly found a way to turn my garbled, confused descriptions of what I wanted for my dresses – non-​traditional, yellow, short, um? – into two amazing dresses that make me feel amazing. Holly and Gretchen helped with style input, and then created these wonderful dresses, and I’m so excited that I’ll look as good as I feel on my wedding day.
Seriously. I can’t recommend Dame enough. Run, don’t walk. Give Holly your wedding business. I can’t imagine you could possibly disappointed.

I am, and always will be, a tough fit. My body is oddly proportioned — I have what my loved ones call a freakishly small rib cage. And at the same time, I have a very, very large rack. I have always wanted a wrap dress but never found one that didn’t stun onlookers with my cleavage. Holly did it for me!
I now own the perfect, blue wrap top dress. It will be worn for my sister’s wedding; she purchased two dresses for her «big day». One for the ceremony and one for the reception — they both turned out amazingly and you’ll probably see her review here soon.
Just wanted to mention that Holly and Gretchen are so nice and were so easy to work with. It was such a fun experience…

Hurray for this wonderful boutique dress shop! I came in with a budget, and a vintage wedding dress I wanted updated. I already had a few ideas of how I hoped it could be altered, tailored and re-​vamped! The lovely knowledgeable Holly met with me and within 15 minutes I was confident I’d come to the right place. Holly is diligent, professional and puts you at ease immediately. Her assistant Megan makes the most amazing fascinator and head-​pieces to compliment and complete the look you are going for.
The process of working one-​on-​one with a designer and artist to create something unique in a world of over done and over priced wedding dresses is more than I’d hoped for. I really cannot say enough about this place.

I was not pleased with the «marshmallow» gowns, prices, and ATTITUDES I was finding at other bridal shops. I found the Dames online and within minutes of visiting their Evanston boutique I felt right at home.
I had a smaller budget and was only looking to try on samples. Holly never attempted to up sell anything and made me feel good about my body and the dresses I was trying on. She listened to me and did not tell me what I «needed.» Awesome.
I ended up choosing the 4^th dress I tried on and never looked back. Dame Couture took the sample dress I chose and customized/​tailored it to fit me for an amazing price.
I received tons of compliments about my dress. I made the right choice. I felt beautiful and sexy on my wedding day. All I wanted and more.
I would recommend Dame Couture to any bride, specifically gals wanting custom fits, hip styles, and friendly people.

It must have been some sort of divine intervention that led me to the Dames!
I began bound and determined not to wear a wedding dress but somehow found myself slipping into Fern, a wedding dress that couldn’t have been better suited for me or my «theme.» Through all of my coffee spills, my hangovers, and my friends, Julie and the Dames still pulled together the PERFECT, custom-​fit dress for me.
The designs and plethora of materials to choose from are all gorgeous. The price is absolutely reasonable. And the studio and workspace are warm and inviting.
I cannot rave enough about Dame Couture! I’ve done my best to direct other friends their way. And it’s just a matter of time before I return to have my wedding dress customized for another occasion and/​or have the opportunity and good fortune to work on another amazing creation.
Check them out!

My quest for the perfect bridal dress lead me to Dame Couture. Dame is a fabulous concept for a wedding dress store: they will create a real couture dress for you. This means, they will take your measurements and custom make the dress so that it fits you perfectly.
The dresses are fabulous! I bought my reception/​after-​party dress there. It is fantastic! I cannot wait to wear it!
Both Julie and Holly were very nice and easy going. There was no pressure to buy. My only complaint was that there was a mild unpleasant smell in the fitting room.